The Industrial Elf

They'd stopped for a few things at an auto supply store, and were now back at the RV park where Ilmare kept her camper. She sang to herself quietly as she made their evening meal. She wasn't certain of it, but she was pretty sure that he'd never had a vegetable stir fry before. Elohan worked up front, making a change to the wiring of the vehicle lighting.

"Do you really think that she will abide by your offer?"

He shrugged, "One can never tell with them, Ilmare. Mostly, you cannot trust them absolutely. If you try, many will disappoint you. It is their way. But if you assume that they will all try to trick or cheat you, there will always be one now and again who is true.

I have always tried to learn what I could of each one of those who take control of the company. I know that Janet can be ruthless, she has been well-taught in their schools, but also she has learned at the hands of her father. She is very young for this, but she is in the family line, and her father died early, so she assumed control. I cannot say what she will do, and so we must be prepared for something anyway." He looked up at her, "I know only..."

Ilmare laughed, "I know what you know, Elohan. Janet Dejardin fell in love with Jack at the first sight she had of him. She is a good businesswoman, for she held it close to her heart, but it cannot be hidden from my eyes."

He shrugged as they sat down to eat, "That is sad for her, I cannot help who she falls for."

----------------

The camper drove along deserted roads later on. Ilmare drove as he directed her and continued to thank her for the meal and the surprise that it was for him. He asked her what her favorite thing to eat was. He wanted somehow to return the favor very soon.

They talked as she drove on, until at one point, as they approached a turn off onto a little-used gravel road, he reached over and flicked the switch that he'd installed on the dashboard earlier. With the exception of the dashboard's dim glow, all of the camper's lights went out, and she turned down the rutted path. A few hundred yards in, she pointed and stopped.

There in the darkness facing them, sat a coal-black Acura ZDX near the weeded-over drive they were headed for. He didn't follow automotive trends, but he had no doubt this was the newest model available.

Ilmare smiled as she noticed the slope of the road downward, and began to coast forward in neutral. She glided to a stop a meter away from the Acura's bumper. They could hear the muffled music from its sound system where they sat.

Elohan walked to the rear door and got out. When Ilmare saw him beside the driver's door, she flicked the new switch again, and hit the high beams.

Janet almost hit her head on the ceiling in surprise, but before she could do much else, Elohan opened her door. She recognized him, and shut off the ignition, "Jesus you scared me! Look, can we talk?"

"What about?" he said, "How in a very few steps you would already break my conditions?"

She shook her head, "Why do you think I was sitting inside my car, outside the property line? I didn't know if you were here, but I hoped to see you again. If you're going inside now, may I come along? I've never seen it, and I've been thinking things over, Jack. I think I can do better than just give you three months of time, but I'd like for you to hear me out. Please?"

He thought about it. "Fine," he said, "Climb up in the passenger side of the camper. My companion's name is Elly."

He walked to the driver's door and Janet heard their brief conversation as she stepped over to the passenger side. She realized that she hadn't understood one word of it. Elly turned to her and nodded, so Janet climbed in. Elohan walked to the rusted gate and opened it for them. The camper began to grind its way along, pushing down the tall weeds. They watched his back in the headlights until he waved backward to them and Elly hit the switch again to kill the lights.

"What's he doing?"

"He's tryin' to get his night vision back to look for trouble spots for us. Doesn't look like there's been any vehicles here in a good long while," Elly said as Janet stared at her, "You can see here?"

Elly smirked and glanced over, "Um, we're good at that. I'm not from around here. Guess you can tell. But he is. Been here forever waiting while I've been forever looking. What do you want here anyway? I thought Jack spelled it out pretty plain."

"I want to see the place if it's ok with you two, and I want to tell you something. I called the number that he called me on, and found that it was a payphone. That's not going to do at all for what I want to talk about, so I thought I'd try coming out here, but staying in my car because of what I'd agreed to."

"Uh-huh," Elly said, stopping while they watched him remove a fallen tree across the path.

"He's a lot stronger than he looks," Janet said, "That's not giving him much trouble."

"He's a lot of things more than he looks," Elly remarked, "I'd heard about him back home from one of his clan, but we surprise each other about every five minutes, him and me.

Look uh, Janet, if you're here because you can't believe that all he wants is time and nothing else, you're wasting a fine evening. Same goes if you're here to shorten it up any. You heard him right. You just have to sit tight for three months and it's all yours. We'll be gone and we won't ever come back here."

They pulled up in front of a large dark building. Elohan began to speak to something at the top of the door.

"What's he saying?"

Elly chuckled, "He's talking to a racoon up there in part of the door thing there at the top. He's trying to talk her into leaving to go have her fun someplace else. Rolling up the door now would hurt or kill them in there. Hey, here she comes, and her boyfriend too."

A pair of racoons skittered down the frame, making unhappy noises as they ran off. Elohan began to pull the roll door's chain to open it. He stepped into the dark cavern of the doorway.

In the dark, he walked first to the wheel well and listened. Satisfied that it spun in the current of the river, he eased the mechanical clutch in to set the gearbox in motion and spin the generator, and then he finally began to close a few rows of switches.

Lights all over the old generator station came on, one bank after another, and he waved then inside. Janet got out and walked over while Elly found an open area to park. When she'd walked in, he pressed a button on the wall, and the now powered door rolled down. Before it was even halfway closed, his hands were moving. He wanted to offer no chance for Janet to see the plates on the camper.

Elly and Janet followed him as he stood by an old control panel, "I've got the generator on mechanically just to get it going. Now that I've got some power I'll bring in the eddy current clutch and pull out the mechanical one."

With that done, he turned to Janet, "All right, now you're here. I haven't made any changes since I cut off the orphanage after Madeleine died. I come here every week or so to clean off the dust. What's on your mind?"

She looked around, "This might sound hard to believe, Jack, but I've been thinking a lot since you two left my house. At first, I didn't know what to think, whether I ought to be pleased that you'd offer to end the contract, or pissed that I have no power, security system, and a fried Blackberry - or both."

"I'm sorry, Janet, but the loss of the security system is your own fault.," he said, "I asked that you not record the meeting. You lied to me when you agreed and then tried to record it anyway. The rest was to convince you that I was both genuine and sincere."

She nodded, "That's fine, Jack. It's my own fault, and I'm not upset anymore. There are advantages to my job. I'm probably the only one in town who can have a pole transformer replaced and the line repaired on a Saturday afternoon. I doubt the mayor could manage that.

Anyway, as I was telling Elly in the truck there, I wanted to speak to you guys some more, but I found that I didn't have a way to do that. That's why I waited here, hoping to get a chance to talk to you. I have my reasons, and a few of them are business-related, but mostly, I'm here to offer my help."

The elves stared at her for a moment. "Why would you want to help us?" he asked.

Janet smiled, "First thing Monday morning, I'm going to call the company archivist with an assignment, but I'm already pretty sure of what I'll learn after he takes his sweet time researching. I can probably find more than a few instances where it could be said that the company's fortunes improved markedly at certain points due to possible outside influences. That doesn't really matter, but I'd like to figure out when you've helped. I have absolutely no desire to hinder your efforts to prepare to leave your home here, trust me on that.

I was thinking that I'd like very much to learn more about you and Madeleine, because I've realized that without that relationship, my family would certainly not have enjoyed the success that it has, and so I feel that we owe you a lot for that. I was thinking of restoring the old house for historical purposes, since it's still standing, and I want to set this station up as a museum for the past, as well as using it to point to water-powered generation as one green solution today in locations where it's feasible."

"In recent years, after a popular movie, more people know of elves as friends of the earth, but they believe that it's all fiction. I myself know a little bit better now, and I've thought of a very gentle way to exploit that.

I can't push that elves exist today - I wouldn't do that anyway, but I think it would be a good business promotion to be able to say that if the elves DID exist today, they'd be at least somewhat pleased at our green power solutions.

Also, to go along with that, I want to suggest a legend in the documentation of the museums that elves once did live here. Just something that nobody could prove or disprove, but that could be used as a low-key marketing tool for the corporation and an attraction for the museums for schoolchildren on day trips, things like that.

If you don't think it would bother you too much, I'd like to be able to get your input and more history at times during our agreed term here. For that, I've brought you a pair of phones so that we can reach each other. I'd be honored if you'd agree here. The accounts for the phones will be billed to the corporation, so you don't need to worry about the cost. And after you leave, if you ever find that you're stuck someplace out on the road, I'd sure want to hear from you if there's anything that I can do to help in any way I can."

There was silence all around as she wound down, the only sounds were the quiet gurgle of the river and the soft whine and hum of the lightly loaded generator.

Ilmare looked at Elohan, who shrugged, "We thank you for your intent, Janet. I'm surprised, to say the least. I need to point out a couple of things and then I'd agree tentatively.

Firstly, elves do not much care about mankind's green advances, as you call them, for we find much to resent in how we have been pushed out of your way. Our way and yours have nothing much in common. We live with the land, and you exploit it to your own ends. That is how it has always been, and it's why you wonder if any of us ever existed at all.

I've found that in most cases, there is always another agenda, though I appreciate what you've told me of your plans. If you wish to point to a legendary elf named Jack who was known to Madeleine Dejardin, I have no issue, especially if it helps to keep her name alive so you can fill your boots in that regard.

I can't stop you from stating that if there were elves, they'd be pleased with your advances - I really don't care anyway. But there's one thing that you must know here, and I want to see if it affects your offer."

"Well," Janet offered a small smile, "put it out there then."

He sighed, "Humans do not see the obvious most times, and if they do at all, then they certainly miss the subtle. Elves miss nothing. Both of us noticed something in your home, and we see it even more right here, so I have to say this.

I was very much in love with Madeleine when she lived. I have never loved another human since her, and I have no intention of ever loving another human again. I like you Janet, in spite of your business acumen, and constant need for more success, whether to prove yourself to your peers, or just as a pillar of business around here.

I like you a lot, and even more since you're trying to show us another side of you here and offer help. I - we appreciate that. But I cannot love you - and that is what I see as a strong personal desire in your heart. If that's your prime motivation for this, then I'm sorry, but it cannot be.

I have been alone here for over two hundred years. Elly has been searching for my clan for almost all of that time, since long before Madeleine was born, knowing that at least I waited in vain for my dead ruler's return.

Now the last two elves, as far as we know, in all of the eastern part of the continent have found each other. It might have been predictable and obvious to anyone, but we needed convincing, and that has happened. She already has my heart. I'm sorry if this disappoints you, and I'd understand if this changes anything in your offer."

She stepped closer to them both, "You're right, I admit it. I find you both fascinating, and as long as we're examining my heart here, I'm sad that I can't get to yours, as much as I'll admit that I want to."

She laughed a little, "I'll tell you what, I don't know where you want or need to go, it doesn't matter. My offer still stands. I'll still develop these lands, move the corporate center here, and do everything I said that I'd do. There's one thing, though."

They looked at her as she grinned back. "If, when you get to wherever you're going, you find a gorgeous elf who might have an interest in dating the head of a corporation, you just make the call, Jack. The more that I think of what Madeleine had with you, the more I'd like to have that too."

They walked Janet back to her car, each holding one of her hands to prevent a fall. She handed them the phones that she'd mentioned and asked if she might set up a conference call between the three phones late the following week. The elves looked at each other as she drove off.

"I have found that there are humans whom I might trust, though I've trusted very few," Ilmare said, "I would trust Rita in the market a thousand times over before I'd trust that one. I believe that she feels she is being sincere, but her desire may affect what she does."

Elohan nodded as he turned on each phone, found the menu, and quickly turned off the GPS location feature.

"I agree Ilmare. We don't need this help that she offers. I will only turn this on when I call her to meet with us, and the meetings will never be here again, but only in lonely places around the town. If we find the others, we can never reveal it."

He turned the phones off and handed her one. They returned to the station and she pulled her van into the bay inside the door. Elohan had the station shut down and the door sealed with a charm within a minute.

As they walked up the road in the darkness Ilmare looked over, "My thanks, Elohan, for what you said."

He reached for her shoulder and smiled, "About us, Ilmare? The truth is the truth. She needed to know it, though I doubt her heart believes it yet. Did you need to hear that as well?"

She laughed as her arm wound around his waist, "Of course, Elohan! I already knew it in my heart, but it is good to hear the words, and often from your lips."

"Then you will hear it often." he said.

The racoons watched them pass and ran back to their nest in the darkness.

---------------

They walked together the short distance into the old wood. After bathing, they knelt together near the shrine and climbed high into the branches of the ancient oak. The clouds from earlier in the day had turned into heavy towering cumulonimbus formations and the elves sat together nibbling on some bread as they listened to the rumble of an approaching storm and watched the flicker of the lightning as it drew nearer.

"I have always loved a good storm," Ilmare said, sitting with her arm around him.

"Aye, I have as well." he replied, "What is your hope for us, Ilmare, you and I?"

For a moment, she listened to the hissing of the rain as it began, and then to the patter on the leaves around them. The oak itself kept them dry.

"Wishes, wants, and hopes? I wish for us to find others," she said, "I want to live with them and have the comfort of my own kind around me again at last. But I think you ask something more of me here, Elohan, if you want to know of my hope for us."

She looked to him and saw his soft and hopeful smile. With a nod, she kissed him very softly as the wind moaned around them.

"Very well then, I will lay my heart bare to you in this storm. It is an easy thing to say that the last two elves might fall in love together if they found each other. But I had thought of this long ago and I can say with certainty now that if I met you when times were better for our kind, I would still likely have fallen as soon as I knew you - unless you were a cruel or worthless elf.

I have found for me a kind and strong warrior, and my heart has no chance to withstand you. And Elohan, though we all of us elf-girls say that we have a care for our hearts, I have always had reason to be more careful, knowing well that I might be the last. If we are the last two here," she said, "We may be the last anywhere just as easily. We do not know what has happened to any of the others. I think that we should just pair and then we do not need to think of this anymore, and only think about going forward together."

Their bough was limned in the fitful quivering light of nearby lightning strikes and the wood shook with the blasts of thunder. Their bodies became slick from the warm mist of the drops that were smashed on the leaves. The rain hissed and the leaves blew on their stems, but her soft voice still carried to his ears.

"Even if you do nothing, I cannot help myself here, and I see that you cast no magic for this. I feel it, Elohan. I feel my own hope for a love with you returned to me stronger in such a short time. Surely then we are for each other. Whether we find others or we do not, I hope to love you until we cannot anymore, until we ourselves are ended here. That is what I want for myself and for you.

I heard you declare it to the woman. You did not use my fancy words, but I know it is in your heart, for I can feel it from here. I can feel it when you only look at me. If you need to hear it, my warrior, then listen; I love you Elohan - until the stars fall, I am yours. She was not the first to want you for her own at the first knowing of who you were, and I was not either, but I will be the last to hold you to me if it can be for my heart and yours until I am no more. What say you then?"

He sighed with a smile, "Then I say that you have me if I have your heart so strongly - until the stars fall, and they watch over us until they choose to. I have found over these days that I have such hope to have a love with you, Ilmare. We may be the last, but this is what I want with you. You say that you have little magic. I think you do not know what strong magic you have, being on the road so long must have caused you to doubt. I was badly hit when you spoke to me not knowing where I was but knowing that I watched you. From that instant I knew I have no chance here either, and would love you until death or the world is ended."

She held him tightly to her, and after their kiss, she smiled and licked some of the mist that stayed there on his cheek.